Floral Park Car Accident Lawyers

New York State Route 25, Plainfield Avenue and Tulip Avenue are frequent sites of car accidents in Floral Park, leading many residents to question the safety of certain intersections or sections of road. While these features may play a part in Floral Park car crashes, the majority of car accidents are caused by negligent human behavior, such as speeding, drunk driving and distracted driving. Auto accidents caused by these behaviors are all the more tragic since they could have been prevented had the negligent driver only taken more thought to drive with care and attention to the road, the weather and the other drivers. At the Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe, our Nassau County personal injury attorneys go to great lengths to help car accident victims in the village of Floral Park and the Town of Hempstead recover the full amount of compensation due to them after a serious wreck caused by the negligence of another.

If your injuries aren’t very serious, the personal injury protection (PIP) coverage under your no-fault insurance policy may be enough to cover your damages. A basic no-fault policy covers reasonable and necessary medical expenses and basic economic loss, including 80% of lost income up to $2,000 per month for up to three years. These expenses are subject to a $50,000 limit on a basic policy.

If you suffered a serious injury as defined in New York auto accident law, typically you would be able to sue the at-fault driver for the full extent of your damages, including all medical expenses, all current and future lost income, pain and suffering, etc. New York auto insurance law requires drivers to carry liability insurance, but about six percent of New York drivers ignore the law and drive without insurance. That’s more than one in 20 drivers, and as those who choose to drive without insurance may not be the most conscientious group, it is not that unlikely that you could be hit by an uninsured driver.

In this situation, you can file a claim with your own insurance coverage under your Uninsured Motorist (UM) coverage. You’ll have UM coverage up to the same limits of bodily injury liability you carry, which at a minimum is $25,000 per person or $50,000 per accident.

What if the driver who hit me fled the scene and can’t be found?

Being the victim of a hit-and-run accident is a very real possibility, as the number of hit-and-run crashes is growing to epidemic proportions. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety recently reported that hit-and-run car accidents took the lives of 2,049 people nationwide in 2016, which represents a whopping 60% increase in these traffic deaths over 2009. On average, more than 680,000 hit-and-run accidents have been occurring every year since 2006, with the numbers on the rise. 2016 actually saw the highest rate of fatal hit-and-runs since these statistics started being recorded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 1975.

Hit-and-run crashes have seen a dramatic rise in New York City as well, where a 26% rise in hit-and-run crashes has been documented from 2013 to 2017, going from 36,000 to 46,000. Injuries were reported in 5,000 of those collisions. In 2017, at least one person every week died in a New York City hit-and-run car accident. Many of these tragedies hit especially close to home. In Floral Park, a driver was arrested in 2018 and accused of running over a pedestrian and leaving him to die. In 2007, a woman was struck and killed in New Hyde Park by a car that fled the scene. A Floral Park man was arrested in 2014 for a fatal hit-and-run crash in Melville. In March of 2019, a cyclist was killed by a hit-and-run driver on an LIE service road in Lake Success. This list goes on, seemingly without end.

With any luck after a hit-and-run crash, your Floral Park car accident lawyer will be able to locate the driver by talking to witnesses and other investigative means. This is not always possible, though, and NYC police themselves only make arrests in about nine percent of injury hit-and-run cases and less than half of fatal crashes, despite their efforts to step up enforcement and apprehension of hit-and-run drivers. If the driver can’t be found, you still have access to PIP benefits under your no-fault policy. In addition, uninsured motorist insurance also covers you if you were involved in a hit and run car accident in Floral Park and the at-fault driver could not be identified or located.

UM claims require legal experience and expertise

Just as you would not deal with the other driver’s insurance company on your own, you should not try to negotiate with your own insurance company or accept their settlement offer under your UM coverage. Even though it’s “your” company, you are still in an adversarial relationship when you are trying to collect on a claim from them, especially if they won’t be able to collect from the at-fault driver. Their initial offer to you is likely to be very low, but unless you are very experienced in handling auto accident claims, you have no way of knowing what your claim is actually worth. At the Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe, we deal with Long Island car accident claims every day, as we have for years. We know how to evaluate your accident and make sure you get the medical care you need. Once all your costs are known, we’ll negotiate a fair settlement that fully compensates you for your damages. If a settlement can’t be reached, our lawyers are not afraid to take your case to court. We’ve achieved numerous trial verdicts and out-of-court settlements for our clients, recovering tens of millions of dollars in the process. Your needs are our number one priority; our goal is to make sure you get all the care and compensation you need and deserve after you’ve been injured in a Floral Park car accident.

Testimonials

“I'm pretty particular at selecting trusted business advisors... and, when it comes to attorneys, I have to know I have the best. Too much at stake. Jaffe is the best. I wouldn't have anyone but him as my attorney so I implore him to stay healthy! This guy knows his stuff - and isn't afraid to use it.”